LMS Hughes Fowler "Crab" 13065, completed at Crewe in August 1927, and rated 5MT in BR days Normally kept at the East Lancashire Railway. This locomotive was allocated to 19E Belle Vue (Manchester) when BR was formed in 1948, and after allocations to Rose Grove and Fleetwood, it was withdrawn from 8H Birkenhead in December 1966. Sent to Barry Scrapyard, from where it was recovered to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway before movement in 1992 to the East Lancs to complete its first restoration.

The Up Inner Home signal, with control of entry to the Up Goods Loop. The Golden Valley Railway to Hay on Wye branched to the left at this point, represented by the empty signal location, but all closed by 1957.

Up (northbound) 1W52 05:55 Milford Haven - Manchester Piccadilly can be seen disappearing in the distance.

Saturday, 24 October 2015

I am not alone in thinking that 73951 looks weird. No cab-end jumpers above the buffer level, and a new windscreen wiper arrangement. However the slots at cantrail level are reminiscent of the Bulleid / Raworth locomotives, the first Class 70.

73951 was 73104, originally supplied from English Electric Vulcan Foundry in November 1965 as E6010, allocated to 75D Stewarts Lane. After withdrawal this was in ownership associated with Fragonset and was very occasionally active on the Mid-Hants Railway, later at the Weardale Railway.

Bearing more of the classic lines and layout of Class 73 is 73963 Janice. Originally E6030 delivered in May 1966, this became 73123 and later 73206 in the sub-class for Gatwick Express duties.

As 73963 this has been re-powered with a MTU 8V4000 R43L of 1600hp and Lechmotoren SDV 87.53-12 alternator. Again, as an electric locomotive it is relatively unchanged.

Friday, 23 October 2015

Woofferton Junction (W), with up goods loop starting in upper left, mainly out of sight. The branch to Tenbury Wells & Bewdley diverged to the right before the signalbox. The signalbox was completed about 1875 and is to a LNW/GWR Joint Type 1 pattern.

Saturday, 17 October 2015

56006 was built in 1976 at Electroputere, Craiova, Romania, as subcontractor to Brush. It was handed over at Zeebrugge on 8th September that year, and in November worked some test workings. It entered traffic on 25th February 1977, the first of the class to enter service, following a number of rectification actions.

In EWS ownership the locomotive was used at a number of galas until withdrawn in December 2003, and was then kept at Barrow Hill, although it was sold to EMR in late 2011. It was later sold to the Class 56 Group. In July 2014 it was transferred to UK Rail Leasing at Leicester for repairs, from where it was picked up to take in convoy to the Swanage Gala.

I first noted 56006 on 1st August 1982 on a southbound trip on the ECML.